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With minimal work and prep required, this ham pasta bake is the perfect restaurant-style weeknight dinner you can make at home!
Ham & Cheese Pasta Bake
One of the things I love about this ham and cheese pasta bake is that you get that same au gratin feel like traditional baked pasta in a fraction of the time. It's warm and cheesy and tastes like a restaurant-style meal at home.
Like the famous baked feta pasta, this recipe requires little work on my end. I can also use up leftover basil pesto from another night and it’s flexible enough to use as much or little as we like.
Ingredients
Make this recipe with any shelled/tube pasta you have on hand. For the sauce, you’ll need onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, ham, crushed tomatoes, and pesto. To make this meal super cheesy, include part-skim ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Delicious!
How to Make Ham and Tomato Pasta Bake
The oven is only used to melt the cheese, create a crust, and give that oven-baked pasta feel we all expect from comfort food. Check out the steps:
- Cook pasta al dente, drain when ready, and set aside.
- Make the sauce while the pasta cooks, sauteing onion and garlic for about 3-4 minutes. Then, add the ham, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and pesto sauce. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Combine the sauce with the pasta and ricotta cheese in the pan. Transfer to a baking dish.
- Make it cheesy by adding mozzarella cheese, and then sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese on top.
- Broil to perfection for about 2 minutes until the top cheese layer is melted and golden.
Do You Have to Cook Pasta Before Baking It?
For best results, I recommend cooking pasta before baking it al dente, which means just a little stiff and not mushy. Overboiling pasta is not a good idea either: it could get too soft while baking it.
What to Serve with Ham Pasta Bake
Do you want to make this pasta even tastier? Serve this epic meal with the best side dishes for pasta, and add more flavor and texture! Some delicious ideas are a simple bruschetta salad, roasted asparagus with lemon, or these easy popovers.
Ham & Cheese Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 oz ham, cubed
- 28- ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ½ cup pesto, store-bought or homemade, about 4oz
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Cook the pasta:
- Cook pasta according to package directions, al dente. Drain when ready and set aside.
Make the sauce:
- Meanwhile, heat up the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, and saute for 3 minutes until the onions have softened and are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
- Add the ham to the pan and saute it for about a minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and pesto sauce, mix and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.
Combine:
- Once the sauce is ready, add the pasta and ricotta cheese, and combine the ingredients. Turn off the heat and transfer the hot pasta mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Distribute the mozzarella cheese over the top and then sprinkle it with parmesan cheese on top.
Broil:
- Position the oven rack in the top ⅓ of the oven, place the baking dish inside, and BROIL on HIGH for 2 minutes until the top cheese layer is melted and golden.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Notes
- Sometimes I will add ½ cup chopped nitrate free pepperoni instead of ham and my kids say it tastes like baked pizza.
Dalyn W says
Omg it’s delicious it was easy and fun for me, I needed something to do with my Italian hot ham and this was perfection Ty so very much! Comfy food and movies for me!